updated version

Barisan Nasional retained the state seat of Indera Kayangan in Perlis when its MCA candidate Oui Ah Lan defeated Keadilan's Khoo Yang Chong by a majority of 2,592 votes in today's by-election.

The Elections Commission announced at 8.30pm that Oui polled a total of 4,279 votes to defeat Khoo who garnered a total of 1,687 votes. There were 81 spoilt votes.

A total of 5,966 votes were cast during polling with total voter turnout recorded at 75.99 percent. Indera Kayangan has a total electorate of 7,976.

Polling began at 8am and ended at 5pm with counting of votes beginning shortly after.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that with the victory of Oui, "the honour of Barisan Nasional has been regained".

"I would like to congratulate Perlis Mentri Besar Shahidan Kassim, the state Umno branch and the BN state branch for regaining BN's honour," Mahathir said.

"I would also like to congratulate our candidate for the larger majority win," said the prime minister in his telephone interview with RTM immediately after the results were announced.

Dedicated to son

A jubilant Oui said that she was proud of her victory and that strength of the BN's unity was still great.

Deputy premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was with Oui when the results were announced, also expressed his joy at the victory.

"This shows the people still believe in BN and Oui gained this victory with integrity. It shows that the people of Indera Kayangan endorse the BN even though the opposition hurled abuses at us."

Shahidan, who was among BN leaders present at by-election's main counting centre, the Dewan Warisan, said that it was a personal victory for him.

"We have redeemed ourselves as we lost to PAS in Arau the 1998 by-election. This victory is dedicated to the memory of my son," Shahidan said. The menteri besar's four-year-old son died after he fell from the balcony of a high-rise condominium block in Kuala Lumpur last month.

MCA president Ling Liong Sik and his deputy Lim Ah Lek congratulated Oui and said her victory guaranteed development for Indera Kayangan and was a rejection of the "opportunistic opposition".

Voter surge

Meanwhile, PAS secretary-general Nasharudin Mat Isa expressed his disappointment with the result and said the by-election was marred "by violence propagated by the BN".

"BN had successfully campaigned to smear the name of the Barisan Alternatif," he added.

He also said his party would investigate why the by-election's voter turnout was reported to be low in the morning but suddenly surged in the afternoon.

Only about 1,000 people had voted by 10am today after the polling centres were opened for more than two hours.

However, by 1.30pm more than 50 percent of the 7,900 voters had registered their ballots.